One eye on the clock: Timekeeping tips to boost your revenue

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As the old saying goes, “Time is money.” It’s a fitting mantra for legal practice where management of time and information are crucial to the operation of a competent and profitable business.

When we talk about ‘leakage’, we’re not discussing the trade of confidential secrets. We’re talking about those moments when legal practitioners fail to capture time and record it accurately, leaving a gap between the hours worked and the hours billed to the client or matter. If you’re worried about time leakage, here are some tips to watch the clock and boost your revenue.

Accountability

Be accountable for your time. When you lose the ability to track time and monitor employee behaviour, you compromise the billing process and your revenue stream can be affected. In its study of costs, billing and profitability, the Queensland Law Society suggests that the discipline of recording your time also makes you use it more effectively – it makes you think about what you are doing.1 As a firm, offer policies, guidance and training regarding time recording which, in turn, should lead to less procrastination and better time-management skills.

Accuracy

Accurate and detailed timekeeping creates client satisfaction and improved profitability. Keep track of time manually if necessary, then enter it into an automated system at a later time and monitor your progress against daily budgets. Review the efficiency of your existing systems and procedures to see if you can streamline work and increase the accuracy of your timekeeping.

Automation

Consider using a fully integrated, automated system for timekeeping, accounting and practice management. Time-capture software may also help you to prepare accurate timesheets. The benefits of automation include:

Flexibility, meaning systems can be tailored to meet the needs of your business.

Apps

Modern technology is fast-paced and it’s important that the legal profession stay tuned to new developments. If you are out of the office on a regular basis, you can download apps on your smartphone or tablet to record your time and sync back via Wi-Fi or 4G to your PC or work system.

As hard as it is to ‘keep time’, if you can keep one eye on the clock you will reap the economic benefits and boost your bottom line.

About the Contributor

Jacqueline Jubb is a Sydney-based lawyer, freelance writer, copywriter and entrepreneur. Jacqueline’s legal career has allowed her to enjoy diverse roles such as In-House Legal Adviser for the Law Society of London and Wales, criminal prosecutor at the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions in Sydney and corporate litigator in Newcastle.

In 2015, Jacqueline launched her copywriting consultancy, Florence in Heels, to help transport brands from ‘blah’ to ‘beautiful’. Jacqueline now writes for a range of online and print publications such as Mamamia and White Magazine as well as a host of corporate clients including Owners Collective, LinkedIn, Thomson Reuters and Travel Your Way.